HEBRON - Berne Union was its own worst enemy in the first half of a Division IV district semifinal Wednesday against Danville, but the Rockets never let it bother them. They kept up the pressure and it finally paid off in the second half.

Berne Union was just 4 of 16 from the free throw line in the first half, but the Rockets still managed to hold a two-point halftime lead. After Danville tied it to open the third quarter, the Rockets went on a 12-2 run over the next three-plus minutes, which enabled them to take control.

Berne Union outscored Danville 15-7 in the third quarter to push its lead to 10 heading into the fourth, and that was enough to carry the Rockets to a 49-40 victory at Lakewood High School.

Berne Union (21-4) moves on to face a familiar foe. The Rockets will play Mid-State League-Cardinal Division rival Fairfield Christian Academy Saturday at 7 p.m. at New Albany High School for the district championship. The Knights (22-3), who have won back-to-back district titles, defeated Wellington, 50-36 on Wednesday.

It will be the third meeting this season between the two teams, with the Knights winning both games. For the Rockets, they will be making their first district final appearance since 1990.

Against the Blue Devils (15-9), the Rockets’ pressure defense and balanced scoring proved to be too much. Berne Union forced 24 turnovers, and in the pivotal third quarter, the Rockets limited Danville to just 3 of 13 shooting from the field.

A pair of freshmen led the way in scoring for Berne Union. Emily Blevins finished with 12 points, 11 rebounds – seven in the third quarter – and three assists. Bella Kline also had 12 points and three assists. Seniors Sarah Bieber finished with 11 points and six rebounds and Paige Probasco had 10 points. Paige Laughlin came off the bench and played outstanding defense on the Blue Devils’ leading scorer, and she had four points, four rebounds and four assists.

After a 10-10 tie at the end of the first quarter, Danville started strong in the second and took a 17-12 lead, but the Rockets always seemed to have an answer and never let the Blue Devils pull away. However, even though the Rockets led 23-21 at halftime, their woeful free throw shooting kept the Devils in it.

“We weren’t that frustrated (at halftime) because we were up two and we obviously didn’t shoot the ball well from the free throw line or the field,” Berne Union coach Dwayne Hurst said. “We just had to keep plugging away and our shots would start falling.”

In the third, things finally started clicking on offense for Berne Union. Probasco and Kline hit back-to-back 3-pointers, Blevins scored on a rebound bucket and hit a free throw, and Probasco capped the run off with another 3 to give the Rockets a 35-35 lead.

“We started running our offense better and the girls made the right reads because (Danville) was switching on every screen, and we did a nice job of getting the ball to the right people,” Hurst said. “Once we got some distance between them, it was hard for them to catch up. We felt like if we could get some spread in the score we would be ok.”

Blevins was a huge spark for the Rockets in the third quarter, seemingly getting every rebound and starting the fast break. She said even though the Rockets struggled in the first half, it was all about staying the course.

“We knew we could play better, but we did a nice job of keeping our intensity up, and we knew that if we kept pressuring them they wouldn’t be able to keep up,” Blevins said. “I just tried to keep the pressure up. This is just an amazing feeling to be going to the district finals, especially me being only a freshman, and playing Fairfield Christian again.

“We just need to keep our intensity up the whole game. The last time we played them, we kind of let down a little in the fourth quarter, and we can’t do that on Saturday. We were hoping we would get a chance to play them again.”

The Rockets held a 10-point lead most of the fourth quarter. Danville cut the deficit to 46-40 with 25 seconds left, but Kline threw a baseball pass to a streaking Blevins, who scored on an uncontested layup and she hit a free throw to keep the Blue Devils at bay.

“We haven’t been to the district finals since 1990 and that has been the goal all year,” Hurst said. “The girls have done a great job of sticking together and playing hard, and I’m happy for them. As far as playing Fairfield Christian again, it will be nice to play them again. We just need to come out and play the way we are capable of and let the chips fall where they may.”